Training Log Archive: andyd

Swim in the Terra Nostra volcanic pool. Really amazingly pleasant, but not really one for swimming lengths (40 deg C). Did a few anyway.

Race the Castles, Balmoral, M21E. 14.2 km, 675m. Was a bit nervous about this one ... in a good way... but just couldn't pass up the chance to run a course like this on a lovely new map with so many top-notch orienteers running. Very glad I did. Knew I wasn't going to be going at any sort of race pace, given recent fitness, but paced it pretty well and stuck the distance just fine. A pretty early start, with folk of similar speed. Would have been nice to see the fast guys flying past. Haven't run on 1:15 for a while, and struggled to pull much detail out on the run - there were some quite subtle slopes with scattered rocky stuff. So made a few mistakes, maybe 6-7 mins total, but nothing disastrous. And lost time trying to cross the raging river - quite scary. Winner Daniel Hubmann, 90:42, so a mere hour off the pace! Was thinking this would be my last full-length elite course, but really enjoyed the challenge of it, so who knows?! Overall a really fun event - great terrain, settling, atmosphere, weather.

A gentle jog to loosen up a bit after a stressful day, and get the shoes worn in a bit more for tomorrow.

Swimming again, with Tom - to the right from the back beach, to the second bay.

Beinn Lora. Windy, crisp, autumnal evening. First run in the bolds to see if they feel comfy enough for Saturday's epic. They feel pretty good. Time to rest up for a couple of days.

Commute. Sunny + frosty morning. Beautiful.

Swim off the back beach. Such a nice day. Clear, glassy water. Getting a bit chilly.

Race the Castles, Stirling. Vets class, 6.5 km. Started off into the castle, which was a lot of fun. Got completely confused in there a couple of times. And missed one good route. Then out into town. Very varied ... some tricky bits, some easy running bits. Very fun. Screwed up at the point where you had to flip your map over as I was reading ahead and went to 15 before 14. Duh! At least a minute gone there. Otherwise, felt quicker than yesterday, until Richard told me his time! Better result, though.

Event: Race the Castles
 

Race the Castles, Edinburgh urban race. Vets class, 5.2 km. Lost a bit of time on the wrong level at 4, but otherwise not too bad a run, though well off the pace. Maybe not as super-tricky as Edinburgh has been in the past. Good atmosphere for the event.

He he ... have to frame this one!